Wisconsin recall: Walker wins

A two-year saga of recall elections, public demonstrations, litigation and legislative walkouts drew to a finish Tuesday as Wisconsin voters turned out in massive numbers and voted to keep Republican Gov. Scott Walker in office.

A half-dozen states cast ballots today in House and Senate primary elections, but it was on Wisconsin — the site of a historic Democratic campaign to oust a sitting governor — where the eyes of the political world were trained.

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The Associated Press declared Walker the winner shortly after 10 p.m. Television networks initially reported that exit polling showed the race was “too close to call,” and the final margin remains to be seen. But with 87 percent of the vote in, Walker led Barrett by a wider-than-expected 9 points, 54 percent to 45 percent, in a victory Republicans quickly brandished as a seal of approval for conservative governance.

In a memo set for release Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus hailed Walker’s performance as a “resounding victory over Obama’s campaign arm and the liberal special interests,” and said the recall fight left Wisconsin Republicans well prepared for the fall presidential race.

“This race should draw a sharp contrast in the eyes of voters. On the Republican side stood Scott Walker — a man who kept his 2010 campaign promises and delivered. He balanced the budget, got Wisconsinites back to work, and put government back on the side of the people,” wrote Priebus, himself a former Wisconsin GOP chairman. “It’s certainly a far cry from what President Obama is offering.”

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney phoned Walker after he was declared the winner, a Romney campaign official said. In a statement to the press, Romney said the recall vote would “echo beyond the borders” of the Badger State.

Operatives in both parties say it’s uncertain whether the results in Wisconsin represent a bellwether for the presidential campaign in that state. But in addition to validating Walker, the outcome is also an affirmation of Walker-ism: an approach to governing characterized by deep spending cuts, confrontation with public employee unions and a refusal to consider increasing taxes.

In his election night speech, Walker did not wave his victory in the face of his defeated opponents or infuse the vote with national implications. Instead, he moved to recast himself as a unifying leader for a state where Democrats and Republicans alike have grown weary of endless political warfare.

“We’ll renew our commitment to help grow the quality of life for all of our citizens — both those who voted for me and those who voted for someone else,” Walker said. “Because tomorrow is the day after the election and tomorrow, we are no longer opponents. We are one as Wisconsinites.”

Conceding defeat, Barrett said that a difficult chapter in Wisconsin history had come to an end, imploring his supporters: “To those of you who care about this city which I love, to those of you who care about this state which I love, please, please, please remain engaged, remain involved, because we will continue to fight for justice and fairness in this city and this state.”

GOP optimism about the recall election had grown in recent weeks thanks to a barrage of TV ads casting Barrett as a free-spending, tax-raising career politician. The Republican Governors Association poured over $9 million into the race, compared with about $3.4 million for the Democratic Governors Association, and Walker outraised Barrett by a towering margin. The final polls — both public and internal campaign surveys — showed a tight race with a small lead for Walker.

Anxiety ran so high during the day that nervous operatives in both parties were speculating with dread about the possibility of a recount battle if the result is not conclusive enough to silence activists of all partisan stripes.